Report: Bus-only lanes could save CTA travel time

There's a new effort under way Thursday to keep CTA bus travel running smoothly on some of the busiest streets downtown. It could save bus riders travel time around the Loop.

The city says some commuters could save as many as 11 minutes, according to a traffic study.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Department of Transportation and the CTA had a public meeting Wednesday night to discuss a plan with the public to create priority bus lanes on Madison, Washington, Canal and Clinton.

One of the designs that on the table would shut down car traffic and make Madison a buses-only street.

All of the proposals are designed to ease bus traffic around Union Station and the Ogilvie Transportation Center.

Right now, many Chicago Streets have bus-only sections near stops and other points of congestion, but these new lanes could run several blocks.

The report said that means riders could see dedicated bus lanes in that congested area within the next two years.

And even sooner than that, South Siders who commute downtown could see rush hour bus lanes from 67th to 83rd streets.

The plans also include relocating bike lanes and adding covered platforms for at least six CTA routes.